April 09, 2012

The dark and creepy world of "thinspiration"

Connie Matthiessen, Associate Editor

Before I take you into this warped universe, a warning: it's a bleak and frightening place to be. This online society is comprised of a variety of "thinspiration" (aka "thinspo") blogs and websites, and they're all slightly different, but all share a loathing for fat (even for a few extra pounds) and claim that their goal is to inspire people to lose weight. The sites feature admiring photos of emaciated women, and long lists of so called "mantras" (aka hectoring and often hackneyed advice) for becoming — and staying — thin.

Mythinspo, for example, includes a list of "Reasons not to eat," including:

"Starving is an example of excellent willpower."

"When you start to get dizzy and weak, you're almost there."

The site Skinnygossip offers a daily "Starving tip of the day." Here, starving is a good thing. Examples include:

"Think of your stomach pains in a whole new light. Your stomach doesn’t hurt because you are hungry, that burning feeling is fat melting off of you…."

"Learn to LOVE that empty feeling in your stomach. Trust me, you’ll feel disgusting when it starts filling up again."

"Pay close attention to other girl’s bodies. Pick them apart – try to find faults even with the best bodies. Then apply these high standards to yourself."

"Thinspo is your best friend. You think you’ve lost weight? Check out some fashion models or skinny celebrities online and you’ll realize that you can probably do better."

Some of the thinspo sites try to distance themselves from pro "ana" (anorexia) and "mia" (bulimia) websites, which frankly celebrate eating disorders. The blog, Proanalifestyle, for example, bears the slogan, "Anorexia is a lifestyle, not a disease, and offers "Thin Commandments" including these:

If you aren't thin, you aren't attractive;

Being thin is more important than being healthy;

Thou shall not eat fattening food withouat punishing afterwards; and

Being thin and not eating are signs of true will power and success

But all of these sites feature photos of pencil-thin models and celebrities, and lurid pictures of skeletal women — many of them scantily clad and provocatively posed, which give the sites a sleazy, voyeuristic quality. Most troubling of all, the thinspiration and pro-ana and mia sites all share an unchallenged assumption that appearance is all that matters in life. The authors of the sites (and, sadly, their readers, based on the comments) seem to consider looks — specifically a slender, model-thin body — the sole measure of an individual's worth.

And a CNN infographic, (based on research by the National Eating Disorders Association) points out that, from 1999 to 2006, the total number of eating-disorder related hospitalizations increased by 18 percent; among children younger than 12 years old, hospitilizations increased119 percent. The infographic also reveals that 42 percent of first through third grade girls (yes — that’s ages 6 to 8!) say they want to be thinner.

On the website, Proud2Bme.org, which was launched by the National Eating Disorders Association to provide positive body image messages and support for teens, teenagers describe the connection between social media and negative body image in stark terms:

“When looking at images of girls in a magazine almost all of us know that they are altered electronically to appear perfect. When it comes to social media such as Facebook, most believe that they are looking at raw pictures, or ‘real girls.’ Whether this is true or not, they are ultimately used as a standard of comparison. –Mary

"People get positive attention in the world by losing weight. And you can do it to an even greater extent on Facebook.” --Anika, 18

“I think that social media platforms hurt because young people are now having their bodies judged online in addition to being judged in person, which causes them to feel trapped.” --Jen, 17

As awareness of the influence of social media on body image grows, popular social media sites like Tumblr, and Pinterest have taken steps to discourage "thinspo" content on their sites. (Although, as the Huffington Post points out, thinspo followers aren't going away — they're just migrating to different venues).

Discouraging thinspo content is a start, but I wish the "thinspiration" bloggers would clean up their act as well, or better yet, take their disturbing obsessions offline all together. Of course, eating disorders are the result of a complex host of factors; it's impossible to put all the blame on specific websites, or social media in general. But the thinspiration community is cheerleading a dangerous and growing epidemic, and I've seen the results in my own community. Over the last year alone, a friend's daughter was asked to leave her college because of chronic bulimia. Another teen I know, who’s always been funny and outspoken, has became pale and withdrawn, her spirit and teenage curves whittled away by anorexia. For a third girl, a bright, engaged high school sophomore, vomiting after meals has become part of her daily routine.

Every parent I know worries that her daughter may be next. My 13-year-old is conscious of her weight; she worries aloud about it on occasion and not long ago I found a note she'd written to herself and left on her dresser: "Don't eat after school!" But she has a strong community of friends, and many interests — including soccer, animals, art, reading, and writing, and I'm hoping that it is these passions — not the size of her waist or a number on a scale — that continue to comprise the measure of her self-worth.

I'd love to hear about your daughters and sons, and whether you see a link between social media and negative body image.

Comments

The dark and creepy world of "thinspiration"

Connie Matthiessen, Associate Editor

Before I take you into this warped universe, a warning: it's a bleak and frightening place to be. This online society is comprised of a variety of "thinspiration" (aka "thinspo") blogs and websites, and they're all slightly different, but all share a loathing for fat (even for a few extra pounds) and claim that their goal is to inspire people to lose weight. The sites feature admiring photos of emaciated women, and long lists of so called "mantras" (aka hectoring and often hackneyed advice) for becoming — and staying — thin.

Mythinspo, for example, includes a list of "Reasons not to eat," including:

"Starving is an example of excellent willpower."

"When you start to get dizzy and weak, you're almost there."

The site Skinnygossip offers a daily "Starving tip of the day." Here, starving is a good thing. Examples include:

"Think of your stomach pains in a whole new light. Your stomach doesn’t hurt because you are hungry, that burning feeling is fat melting off of you…."

"Learn to LOVE that empty feeling in your stomach. Trust me, you’ll feel disgusting when it starts filling up again."

"Pay close attention to other girl’s bodies. Pick them apart – try to find faults even with the best bodies. Then apply these high standards to yourself."

"Thinspo is your best friend. You think you’ve lost weight? Check out some fashion models or skinny celebrities online and you’ll realize that you can probably do better."

Some of the thinspo sites try to distance themselves from pro "ana" (anorexia) and "mia" (bulimia) websites, which frankly celebrate eating disorders. The blog, Proanalifestyle, for example, bears the slogan, "Anorexia is a lifestyle, not a disease, and offers "Thin Commandments" including these:

If you aren't thin, you aren't attractive;

Being thin is more important than being healthy;

Thou shall not eat fattening food withouat punishing afterwards; and

Being thin and not eating are signs of true will power and success

But all of these sites feature photos of pencil-thin models and celebrities, and lurid pictures of skeletal women — many of them scantily clad and provocatively posed, which give the sites a sleazy, voyeuristic quality. Most troubling of all, the thinspiration and pro-ana and mia sites all share an unchallenged assumption that appearance is all that matters in life. The authors of the sites (and, sadly, their readers, based on the comments) seem to consider looks — specifically a slender, model-thin body — the sole measure of an individual's worth.

And a CNN infographic, (based on research by the National Eating Disorders Association) points out that, from 1999 to 2006, the total number of eating-disorder related hospitalizations increased by 18 percent; among children younger than 12 years old, hospitilizations increased119 percent. The infographic also reveals that 42 percent of first through third grade girls (yes — that’s ages 6 to 8!) say they want to be thinner.

On the website, Proud2Bme.org, which was launched by the National Eating Disorders Association to provide positive body image messages and support for teens, teenagers describe the connection between social media and negative body image in stark terms:

“When looking at images of girls in a magazine almost all of us know that they are altered electronically to appear perfect. When it comes to social media such as Facebook, most believe that they are looking at raw pictures, or ‘real girls.’ Whether this is true or not, they are ultimately used as a standard of comparison. –Mary

"People get positive attention in the world by losing weight. And you can do it to an even greater extent on Facebook.” --Anika, 18

“I think that social media platforms hurt because young people are now having their bodies judged online in addition to being judged in person, which causes them to feel trapped.” --Jen, 17

As awareness of the influence of social media on body image grows, popular social media sites like Tumblr, and Pinterest have taken steps to discourage "thinspo" content on their sites. (Although, as the Huffington Post points out, thinspo followers aren't going away — they're just migrating to different venues).

Discouraging thinspo content is a start, but I wish the "thinspiration" bloggers would clean up their act as well, or better yet, take their disturbing obsessions offline all together. Of course, eating disorders are the result of a complex host of factors; it's impossible to put all the blame on specific websites, or social media in general. But the thinspiration community is cheerleading a dangerous and growing epidemic, and I've seen the results in my own community. Over the last year alone, a friend's daughter was asked to leave her college because of chronic bulimia. Another teen I know, who’s always been funny and outspoken, has became pale and withdrawn, her spirit and teenage curves whittled away by anorexia. For a third girl, a bright, engaged high school sophomore, vomiting after meals has become part of her daily routine.

Every parent I know worries that her daughter may be next. My 13-year-old is conscious of her weight; she worries aloud about it on occasion and not long ago I found a note she'd written to herself and left on her dresser: "Don't eat after school!" But she has a strong community of friends, and many interests — including soccer, animals, art, reading, and writing, and I'm hoping that it is these passions — not the size of her waist or a number on a scale — that continue to comprise the measure of her self-worth.

I'd love to hear about your daughters and sons, and whether you see a link between social media and negative body image.